Dig for Good

The triumphant diggers with the Afula Women's Group

Can you imagine digging a swimming pool by hand in Kenya in just three days?

That's exactly what Judith Batchelar and a group of women industry leaders achieved in May 2013. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the members of the Afula Women's Group at one of Farm Africa's projects in Kisumu, they hand-dug a swimming pool-sized fish pond in just three days! Their blood, sweat and tears was to leave a lasting legacy to set this rural African community up in fish farming.

In February 2014 four representatives from the UK food producers Barfoots and field marketing agency Cosine UK returned to the Dig for Good pond and were thrilled to find out how well the Afula Women's Group farmers were getting on.

And last month, one full year on from the digging of the pond, the first harvest has taken place, with some excellent results. The Afula Women’s Group netted 238 kilograms of healthy tilapia fish that will provide much-needed white protein for the women and their families, whilst the remainder will fetch a good price at market.

Even better is that the Afula women have made the joint-decision to invest the profits from this first pond into their fish business, choosing to re-stock three more ponds, meaning that Dig for Good has left behind a real legacy.